July 31, 2011

It's true. Reverse images like the ones from Text Boxed always scared me. The stamped images were bold,there was nothing to color in and I was always stumped for ideas. When Nichole announced that Text Boxed was the set the Senior PTI Design Team was to use for the August challenge, I knew I would have to put my thinking cap on.

The idea just popped into my head like that. I wanted to add some muted colors to the solid, reverse image so it could blend into backgrounds better. I chose three inks to coordinate with my chosen patterned papers...Aqua Mist, Sweet Blush and Summer Sunrise. I started with the Sweet Blush ink pad and applied the color by smudging it onto the middle of the stamp. Next I used the Summer Sunrise and Aqua Mist to blend in on each side. I don't worry about my ink pads...I just wipe off an major color splotches, apply some re-inker if needed and move on. The stamped images results in a dreamy, muted, stamped image with sherbet-y colors.I continued to re-ink my stamp three times and the result was a long strip of stamped, starry images that I could use on my cards for today. The images are stamped onto some Sassafras Started Pages, perfect for a collage look I was going after. You can see how my stamped images coordinate well with my mixymatchy selection of patterned papers.And here are my two completed cards. I used different size strips of the stamped images + patterned paper to create a collage look on my card fronts. I love that the papers blend into one another so nicely. It's kinda hard to tell where one paper starts and the other ends.For the sentiments on my birthday cards, I used *make a wish* from the Think Big Favorites #1 stamp set. One sentiment was stamped with only Aqua Mist....the other was stamped with a mix of the Summer Sunrise and Sweet Blush. I stamped on some little stars from the Text Boxed set along with some splatters from my spray mists. I love the inked edges...zoom in to see that I used all three ink colors to go along with the blended color look.And here's a fun closeup of the stamped star boxes. I used the largest star from the set to stamp inside the white stars then added some glitter. I also took the words *dream* and *wish* from the stamp set and stamped them over the coordinating color of ink. This makes for a very subtle look too.I'm usually not a big technique-y type of stamper but I'm just thrilled with these results. I've even left my supplies out so I can go play some more with my inks. Hope you enjoyed my projects today and I hope you give my inky technique a try. Definitely nothing new to the stamping world...just smudging some inks around....but it sure was fun!

If you'd like to see what the other Senior Team Papertrey girls have created with Text Boxed, be sure to check out their blogs here:

Hey there friends! Thank you so much for the information on what to see near Mt. Rushmore. I got soooo many great tips on tourist spots and restaurants, etc. Keep the ideas coming, I love to read your comments.

Starting today I'll be posting about my Road Trip Album that I'll be taking along with me on our trip. I spent time adding some detail to my album + the embellishments and I'd love to share some of my ideas with you. If you purchased either one of my Road Trip Album Kits, you should have received a tip sheet with lots of ideas. By combining those ideas with the visuals from my blog posts, I think that road trip mini albums might be something really fun to try.

Of course, the album will come together on the road much easier if you do a little pre-planning at home. I started with a cover for my road trip album. I wanted something sturdy to protect my album while on the road so I cut (2) 6" x 6" pieces of cardboard from a box. I tried out my new October Afternoon spray mists and liked the results. I also inked up the edges with a white ink pad. Review on the mists: love the coverage, love the colors...however 2 of my bottles will not spray.....otherwise, great product.Next I took the chipboard square coaster that has the *road trip* stamped on it from the kits and colored the letters with 3 different gray Copic Sketch markers. I splattered some more spray mists onto the chipboard....kind of makes me think of mud or coffee that has been spilled onto the chipboard. Definitely things that could happen on a road trip.For the finishing touch on the cover I stitched on the tag with the cute little camper + sentiment. I added the clothespin so that I could tuck in receipts, Instax photos, etc from our first day on the road. I might even add another sheet of clear cardstock to the front cover when I'm all done.

So that's my first bit of embellishing for my Road Trip Mini Album. I think you'll love what I have in store in the upcoming days so stay tuned. I'll be showing more embellishments + a list of supply items I'll be packing up.

Note: If you're taking your Road Trip Mini Album with you on the road, remember that your trip + all the activities you have planned + the memories you create are much more important than sitting around scrapbooking. If you don't get to it, don't worry!! Make a few notes on sticky notes, slap them into your album and complete it at home. :)

Edit: forgot to add......there is ONE more kit left in my shop. :) All kits from this second round will ship out first thing tomorrow. You should have received your email from me with the tip sheet already. If you ordered a kit and didn't get your email, just let me know via Etsy conversation. :)

July 30, 2011

Okay guys, we're planning our summer vacation to Mt. Rushmore in beautiful South Dakota! I would love to hear your favorite places to visit.....what are the sites we must see? Any favorite towns, shops, restaurants to visit along the way? What about hotels, are they all booked this time of year? We'd love to stay at some fun little cabins along the way if they have those. We'll be traveling up through Western Kansas through Nebraska.

I know you guys are great at offering suggestions, especially those of you that have visited the area or live nearby. So thanks in advance!

Also.......I've spent quite a bit of time preparing my Road Kit Mini Album and will be sharing posts all week long that show little tips, ideas I've tried, pre-made embellishments...stay tuned starting tomorrow!

July 29, 2011

My dad always says, "Leftovers..again? Where were the first overs?" Today I'm using leftovers in the crafty sense by using some extra stamped images that I created for this project that uses Rustic Branches. Always a good idea to create a few extras to use in the future. I'm pairing my wreath images up with sentiments from the Think Big Favorites collection of stamps. There are 6 different stamp sets in this collection so far.Using Large Manila Tags from the shop, I stamped various sentiments with Dark Chocolate Ink.I chose sentiments that I knew my mom and mother-in-law would like because these cards will most likely go in their stash basket. I like to mass produce cards once in a while and tuck in a few cards for their Christmas/birthday/Mother's Day gifts. They always love cards. I kept the card design pretty simply for them too. Muted patterned papers were used for the background. The blue is from My Mind's Eye....the other one had the label chopped off already, sorry.I wanted to tie some pretty seam binding through the tag hole but my Crop-a-dile wouldn't reach. I got out my handy dandy tool kit that is used for setting brads and was able to make easy work of the holes.I tied the seam binding through, tied a bow and secured the underside of the knot with a mini glue dot.And there you have it. A nice little bundle of cards ready for many occasions.See the wreath on the right and how it has more splatters? I accidentally touched the stamped image with inky fingers....but used some splatters of spray mist to cover it all up. Easy fix.Feels good to build up the ol' stash.What have you guys been creating lately? Anyone working on Christmas in July? Or back to school cards? Would love to hear what's inspiring you.

Coming soon: I'll have a small series of blog posts where I'll show you little snippets of my Road Trip Album. Plus Project Life pages coming soon. And....this Fall I'll be doing an Etsy shop update with brand new items that I think you'll love. Stay tuned. :)

July 28, 2011

I'll be listing more Road Trip Mini Album Kits in my Etsy shop on Friday (tomorrow, July 29th) around 9am Central Time. Kits will ship out by Tuesday, August 2nd.The kits will differ from my first round of Road Trip Kits, with new items such as these vintage vacation postcards. Some date back to 1941! Fun stuff!! Stay tuned.....

July 25, 2011

This sweet girl of mine. She's your typical 12 year old. But she's also so much more. She loves sports and clothes and friends and Angry Birds. She loves to laugh and play practical jokes. Her room is messy most of the time. She bites her fingernails to my dismay.She also loves to create small works of art and garden and play with her kittens. She loves to take photos and cram them into her Smash book. She doesn't sit around texting or watching tv much. She'd rather be out in the garden with muddy feet helping me pick beans or check to see if the new pumpkins are growing. She doesn't care about wearing makeup or if her hair is straightened. She'd rather be sewing a quilt out of old vintage sheets.

She gets up at 6:00 am in the summer time instead of sleeping in. She doesn't roll her eyes much when asked to do chores....many times she does housework without being asked. She cares about people and loves to listen to her grandparents' stories about the old days. She loves to bake and help out in the kitchen. While I was at Stamp-a-faire, she sent me a photo of some cookies all laid out so cute. She told me she was practicing for when she gets her own blog.She's got a kindred spirit, that's for sure. I look at her in a group of kids and I know that she is special. I know that she sees the bigger picture. A brighter future. I can see the wheels spinning in her mind. I know there are big things planned for Jordy even though we don't know what they are yet. I am so proud to be her mother.While I was away on my trip, Jordy was hard at work back home. She created more of her adorable little house on the hill collages and I just have to share them.

(this piece has sold)

The little stinker is quite the entrepreneur. She sells her artwork to friends and family to earn her own money. She also knows that it's nice to give them as presents too. This time she's saving up for an Ipad. She's got about 3/4 of the money saved up. She'll get her little box out each day and count up how much more she needs.

(still available has sold)

I so badly want to toss in the rest of the $$ she needs....but Eric and I told her she needs to earn this by herself. So she patiently waits for her stash to build up.She mows Grandma's yard, she's saved all of her birthday money...she spends sparingly on little trivial items.

(this piece has sold)

I'm so proud of her for doing this all by herself. She even has to spend her own money to purchase the frames for her artwork.I think it's great to encourage your children to EARN things they want. Life should not be about hand outs. It's about working hard, instilling a good work ethic. It's never too early to teach children to be responsible.

It's also a great thing to encourage children to turn off the tv and phones....and to do something productive, stimulating for the mind + soul. It's also critical to tell children they they are good at something...like Jordan's artwork that she loves to create.Thank you for letting me share a little bit about my sweet little red. She couldn't wait to show me her creations.....and they were too cute not to share with the world today.

Have a great week everyone! I had so much fun at Stamp-a-faire.....it's so refreshing to know there are so many nice people in the world....who just love to stamp! Keep on creating...

July 24, 2011

Hi guys, thought you might like to see the make and take sample that I made for Stamp-a-faire. Each of the Senior Team girls + Nichole made samples for everyone to create.The designs were kept very simple so that all attendees could get all the make and takes completed. I used Friendship Jar and Day Dreamer for card design + Aqua Mist and Summer Sunrise inks.I'll be heading back home later today. Hope everyone had a blast at Stamp-a-faire. And for those of you that did not attend, I hope those of you that got together with friends to stamp had a great time!

July 23, 2011

Hi everyone. As you read this, the Papertrey Stamp-a-faire event in Cincinnati will just be getting underway. I'm so excited to see those of you that will be attending. For those of you that couldn't make it, there's plenty of excitement for you too. There will be several give aways and challenges over at Nichole's blog throughout the day so check back often. I'll try to do a few Twitter updates too so be sure to sign up to follow me if you want to check out my tweets. (Why does that sound naughty? LOL!)

So I'm sure you guys are dying to see the freebie set given away during Stamp-a-faire, right? That's right, everyone who places an order between 9am EST July 23rd (today) and 11:59 EST July 24th will receive a free stamp set! The set is called Iconic Images and each of the Design Team members has a peek of the set on their blog today.

For my project, I went for a soft and serene look.Using the pretty vase and 2 step bunch of flowers, I created a pretty focal image using the rock and roll technique. Simply ink your stamp in one color and roll the edges of that inked stamp in another color. Stamp the image onto cardstock for a muted, rustic look.I used the same technique for some smaller images included in Iconic Images on a stitched cardstock strip. Silk ribbon and tied Vintage Buttons add extra embellishments on the card.On the bottom of my card I used more of the little emblem images from Iconic Images on a die cut strip of Kraft cardstock. So soft and pretty when stamped with Fresh Snow ink.If you like what you see so far be sure to check Nichole's blog today. Iconic Images will be included in the list of prizes being given away. :) And be sure to check other the other Design Team blogs for more peeks:

July 21, 2011

Hi all. I'm headed to Kansas City to catch a flight with Dawn McVey. We're traveling companions this weekend which makes it sooooo nice. We're headed to Cincinnati for Papertrey's fun Stamp-a-faire event taking place on Saturday. Stay tuned to the blog for more information about some great prizes and challenges.

In the meantime, I'd love to share my latest vintage find with you. Take a look at my new Adirondack chairs. HubbaHubba is RIGHT, Girlfriend!!!!! Aren't they beauties? I am so smitten with these. Perfectly shabby and chippy and worn. Perfection. Just what I have always wanted. These two came in a nice shade of minty green and one in aqua blue. They remind me of sea glass. But since I'm not by the sea, I'll just have to take the wilted flower and weeds in the background + the dying yard. Gotta love Kansas in Juw-Lie!Wanna hear the story behind these? I knew you would. Jordan and I were in the big town this week. Remember that 3 hour hair appointment. Ya. Our last stop was the antique shop. We pulled in and as always there's all kinds of lawn chairs and stuff adorning the yard of the shop. Jordan exclaims, *Mom, there's chairs just like Grandpa's that you've always wanted!* I say ya ya, I've seen those before because I was too busy eyeing what the ladies leaving the shop were loading into their vehicle. I thought for sure they snatched something good right out from under me. :)I totally thought Jordan was referring to some old, metal lawn chairs that have been at the antique shop for a while. Cute but not anything I wanted to take home. But imagine my excitement when I cast my eyes upon these two wonders of wood. I yelled, *Jordy, why didn't you tell me they were Adirondack chairs....and in my favorite colors?!!!* She said , *I tried to tell ya Mom!* We ran into the shop and I inquired as to how much the chairs were. The worker lady had to call the owner and ask the price. She told me. I said, *SOLD, I'll take 'em!* So we loaded up the family and moved to Beverly.....wait, that's not it. We loaded up these beauties and headed to the country. Home Sweet Home. I love them. *sigggghhhh*.

Oh, and I forgot that I hadn't unloaded the chairs yet because it was like 255 degrees outside.....so they were still in the back of the Trailblazer when Eric took the girls somewhere that evening. He saw them, shook his head and calmly asked the girls, *What did your mom buy now and how much did it cost me?* Ha ha....put me on Hoarders, I don't care!!

It would be lovely if it would ever cool down enough to actually sit outside...but alas, it's hotter than H-E-DOUBLE HOCKEY STICKS, as the girls would say.

Speaking of the darling reds, look at this photo below. I have this little thing that I always take a photo of the girls right before I leave on a trip. Their first pose was the standard *stand here and let mom take our photo for the bazillionith time*. I asked if they could put a little more into it....work with meeee.......give me a pose like they did when they were little. And this is what I get. Little smarties. But I love it. Love my little reds.

July 20, 2011

Hey there, back today with the last of my July Papertrey release projects. First up is a fun back to school card featuring Tag-its #6...one of my top faves of the Tag-its series yet. I also used the Happy Trails stamp set for the paper airplane and trail. The bottom of the card features Washi tape with the days of the week and some vintage paper from an old school book. So fun and whimsical.The background is splattered with Mister Huey inks in fun colors.Next up is a card I made for Josey, the newest driver in our family. A fun card that celebrates her passing her driver's test! Card features Congrats All Ways and Enjoy the Ride+ it's coordinating die. A few punched circles + tied Vintage Buttons + rhinestones finish off the card.Love the fun colors on this one!A lastly, a serene get well card featuring Peaceful Garden and Think Big Favorites #6. The sentiment was embossed right over the bamboo images in a charcoal gray color. A snippet of a die from Half & Half finishes the bottom of the card. Hope you enjoy! I'm off to the big city today for a fun 3 hour hair appointment. Oh the joys of having thick, thick hair! Looking forward to seeing those of you attending Stamp-a-Faire!!

July 19, 2011

Hello friends. Feeling much better and sooo happy that we have no where to go today! Just got done canning up some jalapeno peppers from the garden. Going swimming in a bit with the Jordo. Are you following the CHA posts/tweets? Anything fancy caught your eye?

I've got a few more cards from the July Papertrey release to share today. First up a card made with Flower Fusion #6, Think Big Favorites #6 and Half & Half.Colors used were Simply Chartreuse, Summer Sunrise and Aqua Mist. The plaid piece was made by cutting a section from a Half & Half stamped piece of cardstock. Vintage Buttons tied with Rustic Cream Button Twine + a little machine stitching finish off the embellishments. Flower was cut with coordinating Flower Fusion #6 die. Mister Huey ink splatters on the background.I'm always in need for thank you tags for my Etsy shop or little gift sacks so these little numbers will come in quite handy. I used Flower Fusion #6 and Background Basics: Vines. A few punched circles from patterned paper + a few rhinestones + cotton twine finish off the tags.Planning for road trip: Jordan and I are patiently waiting for this to arrive. She's wanting to use it for her Smash bookrealllly badly. I'm excited to use it for our Road Trip to here. Wanting to head out on the highway? Check out this book, looks awesome! Want a few more on road trips, check this out at Amazon.

July 18, 2011

EDIT: The road trip tip sheets have been sent to email addresses of all those that purchased a kit from my Etsy shop. Please check your emails/possibly your spam folders for your tip sheet. Let me know if it didn't go through. Thanks so much!

Hi friends. Just a quick update on the road trip albums. I'll be posting more in my Etsy shop soon. How soon? That is a good question....catching up from being sick, getting ready for PTI Stamp-a-Faire, etc, etc. I'll be working on more kits this week though and will keep you updated.

Alsoooooo.....guess what I have sitting here by my printer? A stack of tip sheets that were supposed to go out in the Road Trip kits. Totally forgot to slip them into the packages so I will be emailing the file to each one of you who ordered a Road Trip album. My apologies. :)

July 17, 2011

Hi again. I'm back today with some simple, one layer cards. I used Nichole's Day Dreamer stamp set along with Maile'sModern Basics. I'm really loving flower building sets as of lately. Sometimes you just need some quick cards and one layer cards fit the bill. To add a little dimension I added some Rustic Cream Button Twine tied up with an Orange Zest Vintage Button.Need more inspiration for one layer cards? Then be sure to visit Maile Belles' blog....she's the queen of one layer, simple cards.

Update on mini road trip albums: You did it to me...your sweet requests will be answered and I'll more Road Trip albums in my Etsy shop soon. Thank you for your interest. :)

Finally, I found the name of the set you've all been asking about with the Route 66 looking sign that I used in my road trip album....it's called The Observant Traveler and it's one of Ali Edwards' Studio AE limited supply sets from June.